At this point in the winter season, I’m often headed south along with thousands of other Canadian “snowbirds" opting to stay for a couple of weeks in Palm Springs, California - but not this time.

This year, I’ve decided to hang around and brave the cold, snow and sometimes dull, cloudy days that we get in the Okanagan Valley. While it’s been a fairly mild winter (thankfully) to date, I did feel the need to “get away from it all” for at least a short break and take a staycation, unwinding just outside my own four walls.

Dictionary result for staycation /ˌstāˈkāSHn/ noun informal noun: staycation; plural noun: staycations; noun: stay-cation; plural noun: stay-cationsa vacation spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.

Staycations have gained in popularity these past few years. Whether you don't want to go further away for your vacation due to cost, a demanding schedule or you just want to avoid the stress of traveling, staying home and taking a break from your regular routine is a great way to spend time this winter.

My destination, the Prestige Vernon Lodge, lay only a half-hour from my doorstep in Kelowna. It was chosen for its fantastic tropical atrium, dog friendly attitude and the hotel's proximity to a top notch ski hill just down the road.

I scheduled a stop at a world-class wine destination, 50th Parallel Estate Winery, along the way, as a treat for my wife before checking in to the hotel.

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Quesnel, BC

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